What the #!%*? Was the TTC sex video a YouTube stunt?

Was the TTC sex video a YouTube stunt?

An inebriated couple gets intimately acquainted on the subway — at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon, no less — and all of a sudden it’s all Toronto can talk about. But questions remain. Jane Gerster provides the answers in this occasional feature, in which the National Post tells you everything you need to know about a complicated issue.

Q: Was this a spontaneous moment of intimacy between two passionate lovers, or was it a YouTube stunt?A: Unless the alleged participants speak up, there is no way of knowing for sure. However, it is worth noting that the person who shot the video of the two soon-to-be arrested exhibitionists advertised the website http://www.worldhiphopstars.com at the beginning, throughout, and at the end of the video of what looks like an intimate (albeit very public) moment. Or that could be a coincidence.

Q: What are the laws around acts of public lewdness? Is the crime worth the penalty?A: According to the criminal code, being nude or doing an “indecent act” will get you a summary conviction, which generally means a maximum of six months in jail. However, if you happen to be around children under the age of 16 the charges go up. Exposing your genitals in public for a sexual purpose to someone under the age of 16 can be a summary conviction but can also carry the possibility of an indictable offence, which would mean imprisonment for up to two years.

Q:What’s the appropriate response for witnesses? Pull the emergency stop handle? Call 911? Begin filming? Tweet TTC spokesman Brad Ross? Weep for humanity? All of the above?A: React exactly as witnesses did on Sunday, said Mr. Ross. Pull the passenger assistance alarm and wait. Don’t engage, wait for the train operator to come and handle it, so to speak.

Q:What’s the cheapest room you can get in Toronto (because, really, we don’t want to see that in public)?A: If you don’t mind roommates, then $20 will get you a bed at most hostels, but if you do want to ante up for a little privacy then $40 will get you a room at the Queen Guesthouse near Bathurst Station.

Q:You’re flat broke and you’ve decided to do what you feel you must do. Given that, which subway station is the most romantic?A: Here are a few highly subjective suggestions gleaned informally from people who have not been implicated in the current criminal proceedings: Anywhere along the Sheppard line should be secluded enough for an intimate moment; Bathurst, because it features classical music and smells like baking; Rosedale, because it is isolated and open to the stars; Museum, for a higher-class, cultural experience; Coxwell (no reason).